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The Darkest Night
Gena Showalter
Every night for thousands of years, he has been murdered and sent to the fires of hell… Cursed by the gods, bound to a rage-filled spirit he can barely control, Maddox has all but forgotten his humanity – until Ashlyn Darrow comes to his prison in Budapest seeking help. Maddox finds his anger is soothed by her presence. But he can’t help question why a beautiful innocent has come looking for the Lords of the Underworld.Ashlyn is tortured by voices from the past – and her knowledge might be enough to free Maddox from his death-curse. When an extreme sacrifice is demanded, will Maddox’s superhuman strength be enough to save them both?
Praise for the novels of New York TimesandUSA TODAYbestselling author
Gena Showalter
“A fascinating premise, a sexy hero and nonstop action, The Darkest Night is Showalter at her finest, and a fabulous start to an imaginative new series.” —New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning
“Showalter delivers another smart and sexy romance
brimming with hilarious pickup lines, fiery banter
and steamy sensuality. A wickedly well-matched hero and heroine mix with an entertaining, creative
and tremendously fun premise.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews, 4½ stars, on Catch a Mate
“Smart-alecky, wicked, and hilariously funny…
sure to please the most jaded reader.”
—Contemporary Romance Writers on Catch a Mate
“A world of myth, mayhem and love under the sea!”
—New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward on The Nymph King
“I want to visit Atlantis! Deliciously evocative and
filled with sexy men, The Nymph King is every woman’s fantasy come to sizzling life. A must read.” —Award-winning author P.C. Cast
“Wow… Gena Showalter always takes us on
a fantastic ride.” —USA TODAY bestselling author Merline Lovelace on Playing with Fire
“The versatile Showalter takes the nail-biting elements
of her exciting paranormals…and blends them with
the wit and humor of her contemporary romances…
to make a delicious offering spiced with the best
ingredients of both.”
—Booklist, starred review, on Playing with Fire
“Charming and hilarious…
I was hooked from page one.”
—New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson on Playing with Fire
“Another sizzling page-turner from one of the premier
authors of paranormal romance. Gena Showalter
delivers an utterly spellbinding story!”
—New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole on Playing with Fire
“Showalter writes with a sparkling humor that keeps
the story light without losing poignancy.”
—Booklist on Animal Instincts
“Bold and witty, sexy and provocative,
Gena Showalter’s star is rising fast!”
—New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips on Animal Instincts
“Shines like the purest gem….Rich in imagery
and evocative detail, this book is a sterling example
of what makes romance novels so worthwhile.”
—A Romance Review, 5 stars, on Jewel of Atlantis
“Lots of danger and sexy passion give lucky readers
a spicy taste of adventure and romance.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews on Heart of the Dragon
“This couple is dynamite and Tristan’s intense
sensuality will have you sweating. [The Pleasure Slave] is definitely going on my keeper shelf.” —The Romance Studio
“Sexy, funny and downright magical! Gena Showalter
has a lyrical voice and the deft ability to bring
characters to life in a manner that’s hilarious and
absorbing at the same time.”
—New York Times bestselling author Katie MacAlister on The Stone Prince
Dear Reader,
I’m thrilled to present my brand-new paranormal trilogy, LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD, which begins with The Darkest Night. In a remote fortress in Budapest, six immortal warriors—each more dangerously seductive than the last—are bound by an ancient curse none has been able to break. When a powerful enemy returns, they will travel the world in search of a sacred relic of the gods—one that threatens to destroy them all.
Join me on a journey through this darkly sensual world, where the line between good and evil blurs and true love is put to the ultimate test.
Wishing you all the best,
Gena Showalter
Gena Showalter
THE DARKEST NIGHT
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Kresley Cole and Nalini Singh. Not only
because your books are beyond amazing and I get
twitchy if I don’t get a KC and NS fix, but also
because you are such wonderful people.
To Shelly Mykel. Because you’re awesome and
I’m determined to get it right (at least once).
To Debbie Splawn-Bunch. Because I’m a terrible
friend, you love me anyway and I know you
wouldn’t have let me title this book Take This Sword and Shove It.
To Jill Monroe. Because you’re always in my
corner—even if you do have my adored Lobby.
And speaking of Lobby…
To Lobby. Because I miss you.
Max Showalter, you are my one and only.
CHAPTER ONE
EVERY NIGHT DEATH CAME, slowly, painfully, and every morning Maddox awoke in bed, knowing he’d have to die again later. That was his greatest curse and his eternal punishment.
He ran his tongue over his teeth, wishing it were a blade over his enemy’s throat instead. Most of the day had already passed. He’d heard the time seep away, a poisonous tick-tock in his mind, every beat of the clock a mocking reminder of mortality and pain.
In little more than an hour, the first sting would pierce his stomach and nothing he did, nothing he said, would change that. Death would come for him.
“Damned gods,” he muttered, increasing the speed of his bench presses.
“Bastards, every one of them,” a familiar male voice said from behind him.
Maddox’s motions didn’t slow at Torin’s unwelcome intrusion. Up. Down. Up. Down. For two hours he had worked out his frustration and anger on the punching bag, the treadmill and now the weights. Sweat ran from his bare chest and arms, riding the ropes of his muscles in clear rivulets. He should be as exhausted mentally as he was physically, but his emotions were only growing darker, more powerful.
“You should not be here,” he said.
Torin sighed. “Look. I didn’t mean to interrupt, but something’s happened.”
“So take care of it.”
“I can’t.”
“Whatever it is, try. I’m in no shape to help.” These last few weeks very little was needed to send him into a killing haze where no one around him was safe. Even his friends. Especially his friends. He didn’t want to, never meant to, but was sometimes helpless against urges to strike and to maim.
“Maddox—”
“I’m at the edge, Torin,” he croaked. “I would do more harm than good.”
Maddox knew his limitations, had known them for thousands of years. Ever since that doomed day the gods had chosen a woman to perform a task that should have been his.
Pandora had been strong, yes, the strongest female soldier of their time. But he had been stronger. More capable. Yet he had been deemed too weak to guard dimOuniak, a sacred box housing demons so vile, so destructive, they could not even be trusted in Hell.
As if Maddox would have allowed it to be destroyed. Frustration had bloomed inside him at the affront. Inside all of them, every warrior now living here. They had fought diligently for the king of the gods, killed expertly and protected thoroughly; they should have been chosen as guards. That they hadn’t was an embarrassment not to be tolerated.
They’d only thought to teach the gods a lesson the night they’d stolen dimOuniak from Pandora and released that horde of demons upon the unsuspecting world. How foolish they had been. Their plan to prove their power had failed, for the box had gone missing in the fray, leaving the warriors unable to recapture a single evil spirit.
Destruction and havoc had soon reigned, plunging the world into darkness until the king of the gods finally intervened, cursing each warrior to house a demon inside himself.
A fitting punishment. The warriors had unleashed the evil to avenge their stinging pride; now they would contain it.
And so the Lords of the Underworld were born.
Maddox had been given Violence, the demon who was now as much a part of him as his lungs or his heart. Now, man could no longer live without demon and demon could no longer function without man. They were woven together, two halves of a whole.
From the very first, the creature inside him had beckoned him to do malicious things, hated things, and he’d been compelled to obey. Even when led to slay a woman—to slay Pandora. His fingers clenched the bar so tightly his knuckles nearly snapped out of place. Over the years he had learned to control some of the demon’s more vile compulsions, but it was a constant struggle and he knew he could shatter at any moment.
What he would have given for a single day of calm. No overpowering desire to hurt others. No battles within himself. No worries. No death. Just…peace.
“It’s not safe for you here,” he told his friend, who still stood in the doorway. “You need to leave.” He set the silver bar atop its perch and sat up. “Only Lucien and Reyes are allowed to be close to me during my demise.” And only because they played a part in it, unwilling though they were. They were as helpless against their demons as Maddox was his.
“About an hour until that happens, so…” Torin threw a rag at him. “I’ll take my chances.”
